yellow cab

NY! Finally got our photos back from being developed - we took these on a lomography camera - I love the effect!

xo denj

simple

 {denim shirt: Mendocino, lace shorts: Primark, shoes and sunnies: Urban Outfitters, purse: Marc by Marc Jacobs, photos by kari }

just a quick one!

xo denj

"i'm on a boat!"

{photos by me}

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon out on the water with these two lovelies! Leah and I cooked up the idea months ago when she posted this about never having the chance to go sailing! We decided to make it happen before the end of the summer. Success! It was so much fun and so good to catch up! See more photos of our sail on Leah's blog here.

xo denj

cobalt

{shoes: Zara, skirt: Durumi, blouse: JoeFresh, purse: MBMJ, sunnies: Stella McCartney}

I am officially obsessed with these shoes (even though they turned my feet blue the first time I wore them!) I love Zara shoes, and totally swear by them. I feel like they always take the right kind of risks in shape and colour (and I got these babies on sale!)

xo denj

sweet summer

{On me: blouse: Tibi, skirt: H&M, clutch: thrifted, shoes and necklace: borrowed, on Jodi: shoes and dress: Zara, clutch unknown, photos by Lauren}

Hi Lovelies! Just a few snaps (thanks Lauren!) of a dinner out in Chicago last week with my older sister and company! We took a break from Lollapalooza to get dressed up for a dinner in Wicker Park and then stopped by Rush Street for gelato on the way home. Oh Summer, please don't come to an end!

xo denj

NYC hipstamatic

Hi Sweet peas! I am home and back to work - vacation always goes by much too fast! we had SUCH an amazing time, I just want to do it all over again! We tromped all over New York and then hopped over to Chicago to visit my sister (joined by a few friends!) and go to Lollapalooza. I thought I'd just share a few quick snaps with you while I wait for my pictures to get developed. yes... DEVELOPED. We had one little (major) hiccup in the photography department... ie: a thief who grabbed my boyfriend's camera off his shoulder and ran. Not cool. But we decided to make the best of it and stopped by the Lomography store and got some fun film cameras and lots of film! So pictures to come!

xo denj

guest post - kristin of doll parade

Hello denj readers - lovely to meet you! My name is Kristin, and I'm a Canadian girl with a small style blog called Doll Parade. I was so happy to help out with a guest post while Danni is off frolicking through some city streets, and hope I can do justice to her gorgeous blog! Where I live in Canada we are in the utmost dead of summer, though I managed to get away for a trip to the ocean in the east this past week, allowing for an outfit that wasn't hindered by the humidity too much.

I was thinking about Danni when I styled this, and it's funny that I did, as her last outfit post features a scarf adorned bag - we must have been on the same wavelength this week! I love adding a touch of a print here and there, as well as small contrasts. This Joe Fresh shirt was airy & light, though it has a hue that will transition perfectly into the Fall. A small staple for clothing purchases here on out, I'd say.

(Pants: Dahlia, Top: Joe Fresh, Necklace & Scarf: Thrifted, Bag: Urban Behaviour, Sunnies: Aldo)

Well, I'm wishing Danni a very happy & safe trip, and can't wait to see what she brings back & styles up. Thank you for reading, and come visit me over at Doll Parade if you fancy! Muah!

guest post: cee of coco and vera

Hi! I'm Cee from Coco and Vera. Danielle kindly asked me to guestpost for her while she's enjoying a summer holiday in New York and Chicago. I'm so envious for all the fun she's probably having right now (and all of the shopping she's probably doing!) but I'm also thrilled to be writing a post for her. Danielle was one of the first Canadian bloggers I connected with online- hopefully one day we'll get to connect in person, too!- and I've been reading Hello Denj faithfully ever since.

I've been feeling particularly inspired lately by all of the mouthwatering recipes that have appeared in this space, so I decided this would be a great opportunity to share one of my favourites with you; Pierre Herme's home made hot chocolate. If you aren't a big fan of hot chocolate, it's probably only because you've never tried this version of it before. I don't know if hot chocolate can really be considered life-changing, but if it can be, this recipe is definitely a life changer!

Pierre Herme's Chocolat Chaud

2-1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup bottled still water
1/4 cup (generous) superfine granulated sugar
1 100-gm bar (3-1/2 ounces) dark bittersweet chocolate, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, or Lindt (see note, below), finely sliced with a serrated bread knife

1/4 cup (1 ounce or 28 gm) cocoa powder, loosely packed, preferably Valrhona

In a 2-quart saucepan, stir together the milk, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the chopped chocolate and the cocoa and bring to a boil again, whisking until the chocolate and cocoa are dissolved and the mixture has thickened. Reduce the heat to very low. Blend for 5 minutes with an immersion mixer or whirl the hot chocolate in a standard blender for half a minute, until thick and foamy.

Yield: Four 6-ounce cups of hot chocolate.

It may not be low calorie, but this is a recipe for pure bliss. Enjoy! And if you have a chance, stop by my blog and say hello.

guest post - kate of o my heart

{Dress: Envy, Belt: Jacob, Jacket: Old Navy, Clutch: ASOS, Shoes: Steve Madden, Bracelet: Joe Fresh, Watch: Michael Kors}

Hi lovely blog readers! ! My name is Kate and I run a personal style blog called O My Heart! I was super excited when Danielle asked me to come hang out with you all while she is frolicking around New York and Chicago! I hope you are having an amazing time, m'dear!!

These photos were taken when I was also on a trip recently - I went to Montreal for an extended weekend trip and snapped a few outfit photos of a simple outfit I wore to wander around the city one afternoon! I quickly ditched the denim jacket though, as the overcast skies were completely misleading, as it was about 33 degrees and super humid!

Thanks so much for reading, and feel free to come visit me over at O My Heart! A huge thank you to my darlin' Danielle for inviting me to guest post! I hope you are having the most incredible time & I can't wait to hear all about it! xo!

guest post: leah of little red purse

Hello friends at Hellodenj. My name is Leah from the blog Little Red Purse, and I am so excited to guest post for Danielle while she's off having a lovely time on vacation. I have known Danielle for many years, so not only is she a blogging friend, she's a real life friend as well! I love keeping up with her blog and all her fabulous cooking and outfit ideas.
Here's a little bit about me. I have a background in Fashion Design and love sharing my daily inspiration and outfits through my blog. I have an etsy shop with my mom and sister called 3 Thrifty Ladies that is a collection of all our passions. I curate the vintage clothing and love mixing it up with current pieces to create unique outfits.The outfit I'm sharing with you today is one of my favourite silk tops from our shop, paired with a great pair of basic black shorts. You can never have too much fun with accessories so I paired it with one of my favourite necklaces from India and the summer essential, a straw fedora.
Thanks for having me, I hope you enjoyed our little meet and greet. Hope you'll stop by on my little blog and say hello.

Fedora & Shorts: H&M

Silk Blouse: available @ 3 Thrifty Ladies

Necklace: Gift from India

Bangles: Forever 21

guest post: kristy of monochroma.chic

Hi everyone! It’s Kristy from Monochroma.Chic, Danni’s fellow Torontonian blogger. I’m filling in for D while she’s enjoying the concrete jungle of NYC and Chicago. Yeah, I’m super jealous!

Outfit details: Winners dress / Vintage belt / MEXX clutch / ALDO sandals & sunnies

I’m not always a big fan of dresses. Skirts? Absolutely. Pleated, flouncy, midi, maxi, give ‘em to me! But dresses? Not so much. Unfortunately, wearing more than 1 piece of clothing lately has not been a wise decision. With the daily temperatures averaging at high 30° Celsius, all I want to wear is my birthday suit. Ha! ;) But since that could cause quite a commotion, dresses are my next (and only?) option. This particular sunny yellow dress has served me well for the past 5 years. I love how it fits loosely on my body, yet it doesn’t make me look like a potato sack. And the pretty bell sleeves give the dress a little bit of a Spanish vibe ;) What’s your go-to summer outfit?